Well am now going to try for PIP or DLA, have started by asking Social Services if they will assist me. Here is the letter I just wrote to them.

Hi,

I have recently suffered an SAH Haemorrhage, I am not working due to my doctors advice and as much as I want to, I am unable to care for the elderly with mental issues when I am unable to do some of my own care and it would be both selfish and dangerous for me to try, my mobility is very bad some days and I think people are getting tired of giving me lifts to the doctors and hospital and I don't have the money to use taxi firms. I have some pre existing neuro issues and learning difficulties as well as mental illness for the past ten years or more but it is the brain haemorrhage that has left me this way.

I am now in need of financial help, and although I have always worked, I feel I have no choice than to apply for PIP or DLA but will need assistance to fill out the forms in my own home due to my conditions.

Are you aware of anyone able to help me do this, I am really struggling at the moment and would really appreciate some help.

Kind Regards

Well I am not sure if I will get a reply, let alone any help, CAB do not get involved in filling out the forms any more, I called the benefits help line, but was on hold for 25 minutes and hung up. You are able to fill out the forms online but for some reason it would let me, but unsure if that would be good for me, some say to write about your word days, some say an average day but highlight what really bad days are.

I also suffer with comprehension issues with my dyspraxia and dyslexia so that would not help, I have GAD or General Anxiety Dissorder, have been house bound before with my anxiety and take medicines to help me now, but un-fmiliar places are very difficult for me even when accompanied sometimes, Have a holiday for 5 dys at the end of this month and hope it is ok, but feel it has been a little better since the SAH, so something good came of it.

I think I would only get low rate mobility and mid rate care, unless they advise me of other benefits, I am not up on all this stuff.

My question is rally, how did you go about getting benfits, were you refused ? did you find it stressful ? would you bother?

I think financially I have no choice but to try. But your experiences and advice would really help.

Thanks, I do appreciate all the people who will respond, and those who have to my past posts, the good news is my head pain went from a 7 out of ten this morning to a 3-4 now.

36 Replies

kig, I'm sorry I'm out of touch with the benefits system. However I do think you should be entitled to full benefits and if I were you I would post that letter off as soon as possible....it's a pity the CAB wont get involved, they used to be so helpful, but It looks as though you are managing pretty well without them. xx

I am still trying to get help with the local headway, they have not got back yet and social services will only get involved if I need carers in, well I dont, my partner helps me out the bath pick out clothes and cook and stuff that I struggle with now.

No problem, you are great on these boards, helping when people have a true problem and helping when people sound off due to severe pain. my plan is to get someone from social services to the house so they can truly see how I am, I don't want it full of false information, If I am not entitled I don't want it, not fraudulently, If they visit me and ask me things I can show them what I struggle with, Like I can get into the bath tub but struggle to get out. I can do some stuff in the kitchen, but today i took a tin out the oven with my hands, the doctor says I should not cook, but how much more can I put on my husband.

Benefits are very stressful! I complained to everyone who would listen to me, and we now have a support worker for an organisation called Family Mosaic to fill out the forms. This was arranged by my boyfriend's social worker. I think they cover Essex/East London area. If you don't have a social worker call adult social services and ask them to help you.

It is an arduous process but you have to do it. I filled out the first DLA form before Family mosaic got involved, and as such didn't do it properly, so we are appealing the rejection. This has been going on since June last year, so don't give up!

My boyfriend doesn't qualify for ESA as he was a student during the tax year they are looking at, so didn't pay NI contributions (despite having done so for many years prior!), but if you have been working then you may qualify for ESA too.

So hopefully you will get a response to your email, but don't give up, and ask someone to help you chase if necessary.

Hi, I am on benefits, when I was at rehab they helped me fill out the forms. I got higher rate mobility and middle rate carers. You have to contact them ASAP as when they will backdate it to the phone call. I think you should phone them up and stay on hold till you get to speak to someone as it will be worth it. Good luck with it. Lissa

I was never offered rehab, something my doctor is shocked about and maybe my hospital appointment next week will be to talk about setting up some form of rehabilitation, I did not think I could submit the forms until 3 months after, well I am getting close to that and they take weeks to sort out the claim, so thought it was best to get the wheels in motion, of corse a month is a long time, I may recover, I may get worse, but I need to cover all bases before it is too late and we end up struggling financially and risk loosing our bungalow. I mean if we were to declare ourselves bankrupt, could they take the bungalow ? I just want to try and keep our heads above water, for the past 5 years I have been on over £50,000 a year so payed a ton of tax and NI, so it is not like I have to feel bad asking for some back, I just need help with the forms, I am assessing everything I do now to see what is comfortable, what i need help with and what I should not be allowed to do. The depressing thing is my four biggest enjoyments in life have been taken away from me, I can not cook safely, We can not longer afford to travel the world on cruise ships, I can no longer drive and wine is limited now due to the drugs.

Sorry depressed as my legs hurt after walking to the shop and back, at least I didn't step out in front of any traffic this time, still got funny looks as I walk like a drunk, I feel like I want to stop people when they look at me funny to explain as I cant explain how horrid it makes me feel when I get the looks.

Now more annoyed as the amount of A's E's and S's I have to go back in my text and enter is silly, my ability to type has even been affected.

Cheers for responding, I am working on finding help, sorry I went off on one, tired after the walk, ignore me, lol

Thank you for your post - that does look like an excellent letter and I hope you get a positive response. It is a very good idea to get professional support for filling in benefits forms, as sometimes quite minor wording changes can make a big difference.

If your local Headway cannot provide this service, other people on here have mentioned the Disability Information and Advice Lines (DIAL) being a good support. Visit scope.org.uk/dial to find your nearest service.

I have a local headway but they are some distance, but they do offer home visits, I have contacted them o discuss the costs, I think it would benefit me, so now I just have to wait and hear back. They come to a cafe close to me, 20 minutes on a bus, but not sure how I would cope as I have GAD and have had for 3 years now, funny thing is the haemorrhage has helped, I am not so bad, so 1 good thing has come of it.

i had a brain heamorage in june last year. i went back to work after only 4 weeks, just wanted to be back to normal, however now almost 1 year later i fine i get very tired easily, and find consontraion very dificult, and memory is not so good, would i still be entiteled to benifits

I have no idea, the local headway never got in touch, im no closer with getting help, think I might just fester away on the sofa in my bungalow flaying games on facebook and eating hardly anything, has worked for the last few weeks, pay day soon and no longer excited by £85, as I dont see it, goes out in Diect Debits, and I only buy food if I want problems lol

Might be worth speaking to your doctor and see what advice he/she has for you.

That is fine anthony, but as someone who has worked the past 18 years and for the past 8 years been a higher rate tax payer, I see no reason not to dip into a fund I have greatly contributed to. I think once you ar a worker and see your salary dissapear into tax and NI, once you use the NHS like many of us do in this situation, you have no problem with paying hundreds in NI a month, and should those of us not able to go back to work need to use a goverment facility like Dissability Living Allowance, we have no issue with paying Hundreds, or sometimes a thousand or more in tax a month.

I am not on the fiddle, I find it difficult just typing on the computer, something that was done with ease, I suffer greatly with pain and the medication makes me feel sick, but dumbs down the pain. I walk like I am drunk and suffer with concentration problem, my speech is very mildly affected and I suffer to walk too far and have alot of problems making a dinner, forgeting to use a siv and throwing veg in the sink, letting things boil over and getting things out the oven with my hands. I am unable to run my own business at the moment and my second job, caring for the elderly, I would not trust myself for their sakes. Please do not think I am having a go, I am just letting you see it from a differnt view.

new poster! not knowing your age? you might think this a strange suggesstion but i was like you didn't know where or who could help but someone suggessted age uk.i am 45 but rang them and they were/are brilliant with form filling for me.also worth approaching your local MP if you know who they are? i was on my two sticks,struggled across her consulting room couldnt breathe due to asthma and she could see my plight.sat down with her and she agreed to come to my home to gain all medical info while her PA wrote the notes.i am now on high rate mob high rate care.TOUGH but i'm a feisty tenatious lass and i think she could see i wasn't leaving unless someone did something and right then!!! you could try this method on a day when you r feeling CALM and BRAVE .CALM and BRAVE.WAVE AND SMILE ( hee hee ) hope this is some help. off for a chamomile tea to calm me now.good luck

oh and my husband is a government official and it really does not matter that you have a partner in work it is nothing to do with ho much or how little they get.it is your money that you have worked hard for.esa inv and mob.i was like you 20 years ago.you are entitled to mob.as i say try AGE UK.or look online to see charities that can help with form filling.i used to be a paid cab worker.it is not easy to advize you not knowing all your circumstances.if you have debts you could try cab to assist with sorting those out and that would be your route in.i am not sure which branch of cab advised you but i would say they have not done their job.they could and should have advised you of other organizations that help specifically with form filling.i hope you find closure and help with those damn forms!!!! good luck

I was not wanting to offend you more like enlighten you to my problems and give you an understanding of my circumstances. Reading is difficult, so I even use my mac to speak to me what has been written. I run my own business and work in what some would consider a menial job, as a care assistant with the elderly suffering with alzheimers and dementia. My partner also work. But we have been used to having that income and we have finance and a mortgage and things we can not pat on just my partners salary, we have done so far, but not for much longer, are savings were not great as we used it to buy the bungalow we are in and that needed a new kitchen and bathroom and wiring, and needless to say we felt we could afford the best and did not see this coming. I have a hospital appointment this week my first follow up, if they change my medication and things improve, I would love nothing moer than to go back to normal and not be dependand on the state which is already overstreached, but if that is not the case, I will apply for things that I am entitled to and not feel bad for doing so.

Yes but pennies might save you from loosing your roof, so not to be sniffed at in your hour in need. I dont have them yet or even know if I will get them, no one is able to help me apply, and I am not good with forms yet, so time will tell, and believe me, the first chance I have to get back to work I will, I will be off like a rocket.

Sorry but the above comments really don't seem appropriate and are not helpful or supportive. Kjg is asking a perfectly reasonable question and doesn't deserve this sort of reply. Sorry for interfering but I can't really believe my eyes.

I wanted to write in response to a number of posts that have been deleted on here.

In our experience, welfare benefits provide vital support to many of our members. They provide essential security to people who are unable to work and need help with the cost of living, and/or experience higher costs due to a health condition or disability.

I'd like to re-iterate kjg's initial question:

"how did you go about getting benefits, were you refused ? did you find it stressful ? would you bother?

I think financially I have no choice but to try. But your experiences and advice would really help. "

Kjg is looking for personal experiences of people who have claimed benefits, and I know many of you have some excellent advice to give.